Borden Manufacturing Company
The Borden Manufacturing Company is a cotton mill in Goldsboro that stands on an extensive site with several massive brick buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The main mill is a two-story structure with sixteen sections, simple Italianate features and small square towers, while a smokestack built in 1905 and various support buildings such as pump stations and water tanks show the mill's self-sufficient operations.
The mill was built between 1892 and 1904 and served cotton yarn production for over 80 years, making it an economic anchor for Goldsboro. After its closure in the late 1980s, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places to preserve its significance in North Carolina's industrial history.
The Borden Manufacturing Company was the center of working life in Goldsboro for many decades and shaped the daily routine of many residents. The factory attracted workers who spent their days here processing cotton, and it created a community built around textile production.
The site is easily accessible on foot and offers good views of the factory buildings from outside, with the massive brick walls and architecture visible from various angles. Plan to spend enough time walking the full grounds to see the different structures like the smokestack and pump stations.
The grounds span about 12 acres and contain water tanks, pump stations, and old railroad tracks alongside the main building, showing how the mill provided all necessary resources on its own. These support structures, some from 1930 to 1940, are often overlooked but tell the story of the facility's technological evolution and adaptation over the years.
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